What Is R Alpha Lipoic Acid & Alpha Lipoic Acid?
Alpha Lipoic acid is a natural substance found in certain foods and also produced in the human body. Alpha Lipoic acid is a disulfide compound found naturally in mitochondria as the coenzyme for pyruvate dehydrogenase and a-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a unique, vitamin-like antioxidant which exists in two forms, R-alpha-lipoic acid and S-alpha-lipoic acid. These two forms contain the same number and composition of atoms but have different arrangements of the atoms in their respective molecules. Natural lipoic acid is R Alpha lipoic acid. Synthetic lipoic acid contains a 50/50 mixture of the two forms. Studies with the mixture demonstrated beneficial effects in treating a number of diseases and conditions. More recent research has shown that the R Alpha Lipoic acid alone is far more effective than S Alpha Lipoic acid or the mixture. Recently, pure R Alpha Lipoic acid has become available as a nutritional supplement. R Alpha Lipoic Acid as an Antioxidant R Alp